One of the tools I’m really enjoying working/playing with is the Group Works Card Deck.  This was a collaborative effort of many many people to look at the underlying patterns for how we bring groups together and what we do together.   They are really fun to play with as an inspiration for design, to see what to do when stuck or just creative inspiration.  Tenneson, Chris,and I used them to design an Art of Hosting drawing cards to see what was at the heart of the gathering, what was needed and where we were going.   It was great inspiration for an awesome event.  Here’s the birth announcement for the cards and more info.    Thanks to all those who created these!  A true gift to all us process artists.

The Group Works card deck, the first product of the Group Pattern Language Project, is now out! You can order copies of the deck, download a free PDF copy and learn about our upcoming mobile/phone app version of the deck on the website, groupworksdeck.org .

Image by Susan Stewart

The deck is designed to support your process as a group convenor, planner, facilitator, or participant. The developers spent several years pooling our knowledge of the best group events we have ever witnessed.

We looked at meetings, conferences, retreats, town halls, and other sessions that give organizations life, solve a longstanding dilemma, get stuck relationships flowing, result in clear decisions with wide support, and make a lasting difference. We also looked at routine, well-run meetings that simply bring people together and get lots of stuff done.

The deck consists of 91 full-colour cards (plus a few blanks to add your own patterns), a five-panel explanatory category/legend card, and an accompanying booklet explaining the purpose and history of the project and suggesting uses for the cards in group process work.

Each 3.5″ x 5.5″ card is laid out as follows:

These cards are yours, of course, to use in whatever ways make sense and work for you: in the workplace, in design and preparation of facilitated events, as a learning and teaching tool, for reflecting on how an event went, or just for fun. The website and booklet explain some of the ways they have been used by facilitators and students so far, to give you some ideas to get started with, and we invite users to share their experiences and stories with us.

For more information on the deck, please visit the website: http://groupworksdeck.org